Old Movie...

I find this photograph wildly funny. Bed.

I'm not seeing Movie, I'm seeing Theater. If nothing else, the square format immediately dispells any notion in my head that I'm looking at something intended to evoke cinema or anything related to it. But I'm definitely having flashbacks to some of my set-building and lighting design classes, and the many one-man/women shows, experimental theater workshops, and the like. Plenty of atmosphere and mood, carefully lit and seriously undertaken, but it's not clear where it's going, exactly.

This is a nicely done, moody shot that does seem to have that self consciousness that we expect more from the theatrical than the cinematic, but I am not connecting with a story here. Maybe it is trying a bit too hard.

While I like the radiator in the background to help define the otherwise nebulous space, I don't know that the way it lines up with the briefcase works very well for me. It ends up not only defining the space but pulling it forward as such mergers often do. I think it might have been more effective if it had been a bit more of a "discovery" as we surveyed the scene.

Nicely done but I ended up pretty much where Fred and Matt did.

I am not sure if some had already mentioned that, but this photograph reminds me of a famous painting "Girl with pearl earings"
Love the light here and her expression.

An extremely well crafted image, the simple but effective lighting and the colours in particular. While the girl's expression of uncertainty is at first glance interesting, I find the suggested narrative ("Old Movie" or whatever) unconvincing. What is the intention of the image? The two shoes on the floor and the suitcase and her position could suggest either an arrival or a departure. No mattress. Is that an attempt at surrealism? I find the image simply decorative, nice to look at (again, kudos for the photography as such), but not something to maintain interest.

This could be a poster advocating replacing the batteries in your smoke detector. It wouldn't work as well as a deterent to smoking in bed.

The chosen image is pretty characteristic of Lomonosov's work as shown here in the photographer's portfolio. That's not a bad thing at all. I personally would not do this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it when it is well done, as I think it is here.
I wouldn't over-rationalize the 'story' behind it. Lots of stories could fit, even the smoke detector ones. I don't think it is intended for it to "go" anywhere, particularly. I think it stands on its own as an image.

It is well PP,( A recurrent theme in Katerina's work ) well lighted and technically/ aesthetically staged . This kind of photography will have its admirers, but it leaves me unconnected.

I think the place is on fire and she is deciding if she will stay and die or take her grip, and shoe, and go. It looks like a scene, and a set, from a stage. As such, it's almost too professionally done. The hyper-reality smacks of fake-ness and leaves me disinterested as a still image. In the movement of a play, it might work better for me. I'm sure this will find an appreciative an audience. I'm just not among them.

I think the suitcase should have been on the floor, or lying flat on the bed frame. My eye keeps getting drawn to it. I like the square format and the ambience of the scene. I've thought lots about staged scenes and this is very interesting.

Ah yes, the radiator. It is broken. Hence the steam that looks like fog. Broken radiator. Bed without a mattress. But it is home. Should she run away with Frank the handsome sailor or should she stay with those familiar objects from which she never thought she would be divided?

Ordinarily I don't like this sort of photography either but this one is fun and full of possibilities.

The suitcase must be upright on the bed. It suggest a journey to be undertaken.

It suggest's luggage. Placement is what I'm talking about. Is the suitcase central to your view? I'm thinking it shouldn't be focused on but peripheral.

What a beautiful piece of art, and I have just the opposite what PN ina Evental is saying, I feel very much connected with this kind of work. (But Pnina knows me a little bit, so I can say that.) And I just walked through your portfolio and it is all amazing. I don't have the knowledge in how to say things about light, compo and more, but I think we all can see that it is all the way a perfectly set up, you are a creator of putting feelings into images, I am also very curious about your paintings (if you are still doing that). I love your combination of craft and emotions, I am happy the elves did choose this for disussion.

Els, Netherlands

A wonderful illustration for the cover of a Bronte novel. I love the empty space that every reader can fill with his own imagination. Technically, this picture is a stimulus and an encouragement to use natural light indoors.

The suitcase should be focused. It's the main part of the story. Peripheral takes away the existential meaning of the suitcase and makes it a corner-of-the-eyesore.

It is an old Russian habit (I adopted and cherish very much) to sit down for a while before a long journey and think again if everything is done right. I suppose that this is the meaning of this picture.

Fantastic mood and composition!

Best wishes - Tracy

Forgive me if this has been asked but why is she looking at the lens?

Balance is in what this photo excels. Suitcase and her figure, foggy atmosphere vs. rigid bed geometry, magic of her eyes opposed by emptiness of the bed, hope of finding a better place and leave this empty room. A telling photo, and one can spend a lot of time looking at it and always find something new, in such a simple composition Isn't it what the Photo (with capital P) is all about? Still cannot find anything to improve here. Sincere congratulations!

Lech has hit on something: the traditional Russian custom of sitting down before traveling somewhere. Why did I not think of it? I do it out of habit.

Technically it is fine with nice lighting and thoughfulness in this area BUT..yes...it looks and is staged and lacks exactly what it needs to work as a depthful and contentful image as one immediately sees it for a stage scene and not life but rather a mimickry of life..that is NOT the same thing. That is not to say that one cannot set up an image and make it become true but the artist here did not go nearly far enough in so doing..it is a clean studio and spare look, nicely swept, no extraneity and no life within. One ought to re-do it and make it alive. Photography is NOT painting when it is done with a realist direction and thus, the viewer looks for the grit of the real world. If the photographer went to a more painterly approach the simplicity of the setpiece could have been made to work as then the viewer would not be expecting reality and a painterly stage is very different from one that is merely lighted nicely as this one is. The image could be modified substantially by a digital artist into a fine art work. Right now, it is the beginning of the journey but a distance from the finale as I see it. Of course photographers will no doubt disagree with my assessment of this in terms of modifying, painting and so forth in the digital world but photography for me is a mere beginning to making art so I come to this discussion from this perspective which one need not agree with. Nonetheless, one wants to believe in the image and not feel the need to say that it needs..more. How this is done is the pervue of the photographer of course and there are other solutions that come to mind also that do not entail photo-painting..

http://www.picasaweb.google.com/nfiertel

I think this is truly an excellent photo. Most of her photographs are based on fine composition.
"Old Movie" justifies that fine composition. Everything else is secondary!

This photograph reminds me of the work of the well known 19^th century photographer, Henry Peach Robinson. He was widely acclaimed and won numerous awards and was, unfortunately, a major influence on photographers well into the 20^th century. I highly recommend that you, or anyone seriously interested in photography, try to find a copy of the book “Photographers on Photography” published by Prentice Hall in 1966. This is a collection of articles by some of the greatest photographers of the 20^th century. On pages 20 and 21, Berenice Abbott, one of the truly great 20^th century B&W photographers, discusses Robinson’s work; her comments could apply equally well to this photograph.
Over the years I have observed that there are three stages in the evolution of a great or good photographer – technique, style and content. Ansel Adams photographs are technically excellent and we can all recognize his style of photography. But his photographs have content. They tell us how he feels about the beauty of the world around him. This POW is technically excellent and the photographer appears to have developed a recognizable style. But what is the content? What drove her to create this image? Why does it excite her and what is the emotional impact? She has arrived at stage two, but is far from stage three. Perhaps in time. Incidentally, clever titles do not add to the quality of a photographic image. “Moonrise Hernandez” and “Moon and Half Dome” are simply descriptive; good images need no further words.
Lee Dickson

Beautiful set shot, very atmospheric, excellent lighting. Although the background contributes to the effect, what confuses me is that you generally don't see fog inside of a room. But overall I love the shot.